A Super Bowl Conspiracy Theory Unwrapped—Was the Matchup Predetermined?
Alex Mount (CFA’07), a creative director for the National Football League, is part of the team that designs the Super Bowl logos each year.
The Super Bowl LIX logo has been in the works for at least two years—but conspiracy theories over its design run rampant nonetheless. Photo via AP/Aaron M. Sprecher
A Super Bowl Conspiracy Theory Unwrapped—Was the Matchup Predetermined?
“I love that anyone thinks I have any idea who’s going to win the Super Bowl,” says BU alum Alex Mount, an NFL creative director
This article was originally published in BU Today on February 6, 2025. By Molly Callahan
Excerpt
If you ask the tin-foil-hatted among us, this year’s Super Bowl matchup between the Kansas City Chiefs and Philadelphia Eagles was not decided by their playoff victories. The matchup was predetermined by larger forces at play. Look no further than the Super Bowl LIX logo, which was first presented way back in February 2024. As they are every year, the next year’s Super Bowl logos are unveiled the day after the championship game. The bold LIX of this year’s logo is painted in red and green fleur-de-lis, the pattern an homage to New Orleans, the host city.
And those colors? That’s red—the main color of the Chiefs, and green—the primary hue for the Eagles. Coincidence?
It’s impossible to know where this conspiracy chatter started. But one suspect was this November 2023 Tweet posted by @NFL_Memes.
“I love this conspiracy theory,” says Alex Mount (CFA’07), a creative director for the National Football League and part of the team that designs the Super Bowl logos each year. “I love that anyone thinks I have any idea who’s going to win the Super Bowl. I wish I had that much power!” she adds with a laugh.
These logos, Mount says, are years in the making, literally. Creative teams within the NFL start conceptualizing the graphics, colors, and designs two years in advance. As soon as one game ends, her team is ready to roll out the next one, and a year into the design process for the one thereafter. It’s a big undertaking—artistic teams within the NFL are responsible for a cohesive design across every piece of the Super Bowl juggernaut. That includes everything from the tickets to the logo on the field.
As is tradition, Mount’s team will unveil the logo for next year, Super Bowl LX, on Monday morning, February 10.